SCX24 Lowering the Center of Gravity
Lowering the center of gravity on the SCX24. One of the best ways to boost performance is to lower the center of gravity (CG) of your truck to make it more stable and rollover less often. A popular way to achieve this is to add heavier metal and/or brass performance parts. In this article, we will be upgrading our Axial SCX24 Jeep Wrangler JLU CRC as well as adding performance parts to our Axial SCX24 Deadbolt.
SCX24 - How to increase performance!
Want more stability on the trails? Shop our selection of Axial SCX24 upgrades designed to lower the center of gravity on your little crawler.
SCX24 Brass Upgrade Parts
In the beginning, Hot Racing was quick on the upgrade scene with their brass diff covers, steering knuckles, wheels, hexes, and more. In the years since the SCX24 release, other companies like Yeah Racing offer similar parts. These upgrade parts replace the lightweight plastic ones and add great style and durability.
What SCX24 brass upgrades did we choose for our Jeep?
To lower the CG’s on our SCX24 Jeep we opted to use the Hot Racing brass diff covers on the front and rear. We also added the Hot Racing brass steering knuckles. With the extra weight over the front axle, it should give our front tires a bit more bite for climbing.
Additional SCX24 Brass Upgrades
To add even more weight, you could install these Samix brass wheels. They are CNC machined and add 83 g total weight, they’re black coated and dang, they look good. Samix makes a ton of coated brass parts for the SCX24.
If you like the brass look, Yeah Racing has created entire upgrade sets including brass parts, metal center driveshafts, and metal skid plates for the Deadbolt platform. There is also a set that works with the Jeep and C10 platforms and it includes more parts, like aluminum shocks and aluminum steering links.
Hot Racing makes tons of accessories for the SCX24 including weighted brass parts that are going to help your truck stay tire side down.
What SCX24 brass upgrades did we choose for our Deadbolt?
We added the 9 g Samix black brass diff covers on the front and rear axle of our Deadbolt giving us a total added weight of 18 grams. Plus, that blacked-out ninja look is just what our truck needed.
SCX24 Steel Upgrade Parts
You don’t have to be the man of steel to appreciate these upgrades. (Insert laughter here!) Both Hot Racing and Yeah Racing make steel driveshafts to increase SCX24 durability.
However, you will want to be mindful when making your selection. Some options work with all trucks models, while other sets are made specifically for the Jeep, Deadbolt, and Chevrolet C10.
Yeah Racing also offers a steel link set to add more weight down low, as well as extra strength, but this set is only compatible with the Deadbolt. Both companies make even more steel upgrade sets for all of the SCX24 kits, including; stub axles, skid plates, and more
SCX24 Aluminum Upgrade Parts
If you don't want to go too crazy adding brass or steel weight, we understand. Aluminum upgrades could be a great alternative and unlike plastic, aluminum will not flex. For the SCX24 you can get entire axles, skid plates, links, transfer cases, various mounts, and a great looking bumper with red D-rings in aluminum.
Aluminum is a little heavier than the plastic material. So, there's going to be a little bit of a weight gain with those aluminum parts but it's not nearly as heavy as the brass parts. However, it is going to be stronger and more rigid than both the plastic and the brass.
Additional SCX24 Metal Upgrade Parts
There are a few other new metal parts, like these Yeah Racing aluminum steering links.* The stainless-steel transmission and differential covers also from Yeah Racing. As well as an aluminum bumper mount from SSD and C10 front bumper mount from Hot Racing.
Aluminum braces do a good job at stiffening the chassis rails, although another good method to reduce flex, are to use the carbon fiber chassis rails. These rails are made from 2mm thick carbon fiber, so they’re stiff, they’re lightweight, and they work with all SCX24 trucks.
A great item to add to those carbon rails would be the metal rock sliders from Yeah Racing. These sliders add an extra layer of protection, as well as, offer more platform space to mount items.
Moving Things to Lower CG
Another method for lowering the center of gravity is to move any weight inside, down lower, and this upgrade will help you do it. The BowHouse Low CG Conversion Kit, includes lower mounts for the battery and ESC. The difference isn’t big, but small changes on little trucks have big effects. Also, this conversion kit allows you to reverse your ESC and battery position for even greater CG gains.
Pro Tip: “If you want to move your battery up front the servo wire leads are probably not long enough to route all the way back, so you may need a servo wire extension lead.”
What SCX24 aluminum upgrade did we choose for our Deadbolt?
Of the aluminum parts, we opted to use the *aluminum steering links from Yeah Racing to add stiffness. However, the main reason we included this more robust steering system, is because we upgraded the steering servo to the EcoPower 827 digital micro servo. Plus, the anodized black coating goes so well with our Samix black brass diff covers.
Summary
Whether you lower heavy items or add heavy parts down low, you can take your little crawler to the next level by lowering its CG. A lower center of gravity and upgraded weight bias will improve overall performance, increase stability, and make it an overall more capable crawler.
